Cape Town - Police are investigating a mass murder that left five people with fatal gunshot wounds in Mbekweni, Paarl, on Monday night.
In a statement from the Provincial Police Commissioner Thembisile Patekile’s office, police said detectives attached to the Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes unit were probing the circumstances surrounding the murder.
“At around 23:15, police members responded to a complaint of several gunshots fired at a residence in Chris Hani Street, They discovered the bodies of three male victims, aged 12, 14, and 34, and two female victims, aged 32 and 39.
“The motive for the multiple murders is yet to be determined, and arrests are yet to be affected. At this stage, there is no indication that the incident is linked to the taxi strike in the province,” police said.
Western Cape Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Reagen Allen said the shooting was horrific, especially on the eve of Women’s Day.
“The 4th quarter crime statistics, January to March 2023, shows that 100 women and 39 children were murdered during this period. Respectively, this is 36 and 20 fewer murder cases, when compared to the same period of the previous year.
“We cannot allow the criminal element to cheapen life in this manner, and I call on our communities to work with us so that this does not anchor itself in any area,” Allen said.
“The protection of our women and children is critical, and we all should play a role in their and our own safekeeping.
“I urge those with information to make it available to all law enforcement agencies, including the SAPS, so that the perpetrators can swiftly be apprehended,” Allen said.
Any person who can shed light on the matter is kindly requested to contact Crime Stop at 08600 10111 or use the mobile application My SAPS anonymously.